


Campbell Science is the Place for Me and You

by Star-David (MroBeta)



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: GLaDOS!David, Gen, Its Portal but with Camp Camp characters, Max is the test subject, Mostly based on the games, No ships here folks, Portal AU, The campers are turrets, Violence, Wheatley!Daniel, more may be added as I go along, portal portal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-12-20 11:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11920086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MroBeta/pseuds/Star-David
Summary: I know it sounds hard to believe, but guys and gals it's true:Campbell Science is the place for me and you!--------When Max wakes up in a small chamber and sent through a series of stupid and meaningless tests, he's looking for anything to help him get out of it - particularly if it means avoiding the overly-happy AI who is subjecting him to this.Then he is forced to recruit the help of a moronic core who promises he can get him to escape. At least there's portals.But God, it can't get any worse.(Portal Portal AU)





	1. Prologue.

**Author's Note:**

> So hey, this is a fic for the Portal Portal AU on Tumblr.
> 
> This is basically the story of Max trying to get out of the horror that is Campbell Laboratories. Includes some of my own headcanons, but the AU is open-ended, so feel free to headcanon whatever you want to.
> 
> Enjoy!

" _I think I might be better than you!_ "

" _Now I know I'm better than you!_ "

The two tall counselors were in the middle of the heated song battle, eyes locked on each other, determined to outdo the other. The campers weren't showing much support for either - looking vacantly in the direction of the two. It was obvious who they would be supporting if that wasn't the case. Everyone loved Daniel - but the battle sure was intense!

" _And tricking kids to drink Kool-Aid-_ "

Daniel raised the cup of purple liquid to his mouth, but paused. He wasn't intending to poison _himself_ , but he was so caught up in the song battle that he almost managed to make that mistake. _Almost_. Smiling, he lowered the cup back down onto the table and carried on with his own lyrics.

" _To sacrifice them-_ "

His hand gripped the curved knife as he raised it high above his head. David cut himself off mid-song to watch in horror as the knife was forced down. White was stained with red, and the child in front of Daniel was no longer moving. David nearly dropped his guitar when he realised - Daniel had killed one of his campers. He was frozen as the cultist stood and turned to the rest of the campers, their own smiles unwavering.

"Now then! Who wants to join their fellow camper and reach Ascension? Go ahead and drink that punch!" Daniel called to the others, punctuated with a crack of the neck.

" _No_! You can't drink it!" David cried out, trying to stop them - but they didn't listen as they started to drink the poisonous Kool-Aid. He turned to the only camper who had put any trust in him, "Max! You have to snap out of it! He's trying to _kill_ all of you!"

Max hesitated. He looked around at the other kids. Some were already poisoned, some already dead. A part of him was trying to get himself to stop, throw the cup down, do something. But he couldn't stop himself. He started to drink the Kool-Aid.

_David, do something!_

David didn't know what to do. Half the campers were already gone. And he didn't believe them when they tried to tell him. They were all going to die, and all because he didn't stop Daniel.

Max felt the poison start to spread through his body.

_DAVID, HELP!_

* * *

Max jolted awake, breathing heavily and trying to forget what he just felt. A nightmare of Daniel actually succeeding in killing the campers was not a common occurrence. He blinked several times before taking in his surroundings - which definitely wasn't in a tent. A tiny radio was playing a familiar tune in the corner.

" _-I know it sounds hard to believe, but guys and gals it's true, Campbell Science is the place for me and you!_ "

Okay, not entirely familiar. Max stood up from the pod that seemed to serve as a bed. His apparent 'room' was incredibly small, and the walls were made of glass - save for one. It would be very claustrophobic, if he wasn't already confused by it. The chamber around the small room consisted of mostly metal and concrete walls and floors. Up along the surrounding walls were security cameras, trained on Max as he scanned the area.

"What. The _fuck_."


	2. There's a place I know that's tucked away.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max meets the new bane of his existence and struggles to endure the mundane testing.

Not long after Max pondered how he managed to find himself in the chamber, a speaker crackled overhead and a voice started to speak. It was female, and sounded very bored. Max thought he could recognise it - was that... _Gwen_?

"Welcome to the **Campbell Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Centre**. We hope you enjoyed your stay in our relaxation vault while we prepared you for the testing procedures."

Max was busy trying to switch the radio off - it had been playing the same song over and over and he was seconds away from throwing it at the glass walls. Maybe that could get him out of there. The speaker continued, regardless of what he was doing, and he almost missed their next words.

"Although the activities are designed for _fun_ and _learning_ -" The emphasised words were dripping with sarcasm, "-serious injuries may occur. And probably will. For the safety of yourself and those around you, please--"

"Wait, _what_?" Max said, finally registering the speaker's warning, "What the hell do you mean, 'serious injuries'? What the fuck are you _talking about_?!"

A second voice ran out over the speakers. It was incredibly chipper, despite the metallic tones ringing in the background. It echoed across the chamber much clearer than the first voice.

"Oh, no no no! The announcer can't _hear_ you, Max. It's a recorded message! There's nobody here but me and you!"

Max froze as they spoke. That voice... was very familiar. He couldn't place who it was. It sounded like a weird combination of a human and a robot. Max tried not to think about what that could mean.

"How... do you know my name?" he asked the voice, "And who the hell are you anyway?"

"I learned your name when you were submitted to the facility, of course! My name is D.A.V.I.D, and I'll be the one running your tests. They were specially designed for the most enjoyment, while still benefitting the Campbell Laboratories and the fields of _science_!" David's voice was even more eager, as if he had rehearsed this speech for days. From the sounds of it, he probably had. Max groaned and planted his forehead against the one concrete wall. If this was the guy who was going to be running the tests, he might as well just die now.

"-and once the portal opens we can begin!"

Max had stopped listening by this point, so when an orange-rimmed hole opened directly in front of him he pitched forward, nearly landing on the ground face-down. Lifting his head, he growled a "Fuck you." to the security cameras. He was surprised when he received a "Yes, Max?" in response.

"Weren't you listening? I know you're watching through the fucking cameras. I just said 'fuck you'," he said. There was a beat of silence before David's voice filtered through again.

" _Oh!_ Well, my software censors out any foul language that may be coming from the subjects. So I must ask you to watch your language," David explained. Max groaned again. There wasn't much point trying to insult David if he couldn't even hear it. Then again, he could swear to his heart's content and he wouldn't know. Muttering under his breath, he slowly pulled himself up and moved towards the exit door.

"Whatever. Let's just get these tests over with."

* * *

"Is this _it?_ "

Several chambers later, and Max was ready to just throw everything at the wall. Every test consisted of _push this button, move this cube, enter the elevator, repeat_. For tests that were designed for 'the most enjoyment' and what was supposed to be good for 'fun' and 'learning', they were very repetitive. And the very first test - which challenged him to _move a cube_ onto a _large red button!_ \- wasn't something Max considered 'fun' to begin with.

"What do you mean, Max?" David asked over the speakers. He had been monitoring Max throughout the tests, giving encouragement and talking about the facility.

"Is _every_ test going to involve cubes and buttons? They're not very _puzzling_ , if that was the intention. They're more likely to be that for _kindergarteners_."

He could almost hear David smiling over the speaker, "No, of course not! After this next test, we will be introducing something that will surely help you and our research, as well as make the tests even _more_ fun than they already are!"

"Why the fuck are you trying to make the tests sound so fun? Any moron with eyes could see how _boring_ they are. So why are you being so enthusiastic about them?" Max challenged. There had to be a reason why David was so optimistic about them.

There was a split-second of hesitation. "... Well, it's part of my programming! Besides, even if you think they are boring or hard, it will all be worth it in the end. You're helping us to further our research, and we've already prepared a _reward_ for your work!"

"Yeah, no thanks." The subject rolled his eyes before slowly trudging to _yet another_ button, to release _yet another_ cube to move to _yet another_ desired position to open the door. Once that had been done, Max was prepared to enter the lift and find himself in another bland test chamber. Until he spotted something in the corner past the door.

There was a small opening, most likely to some sort of storage space. He nearly ignored it and moved on before he noticed the small light filtering through into the empty room. It looked different to any of the other rooms, and could be worth exploring. He didn't think David could see in this area, since he never pointed anything out in the similar rooms. Max had a choice: enter the new storage room, or enter the lift to another test chamber. The answer was almost obvious.

Checking to make sure that David definitely wasn't watching, Max slipped into the opening and along the corridor into a room full of what looked like old models and machinery.

(The AI was surprised when he lowered himself down into the test chamber to find nobody there.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates for this will honestly be rather sporadic. I'll update whenever I can, mostly.
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated!


	3. Well, friend, I don't know what to say.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max makes a new friend, which he didn'y really want in the first place. Though he did say he could get Max out of there...
> 
> Oh, and there's also the portal gun. That's pretty cool.

Despite the trickle of light that had led him into the room, it was still pretty dark. Max could see a few shapes in the dim area - several of them clearly cube-shaped.

Which was all he really needed to see.

He was about to turn and walk back out when he noticed in the corner: a model that was distinctly humanoid, at least from the torso upwards. The rest seemed to be attached to something in the ceiling, and the model appeared to be switched off and left suspended upside-down. From that distance, at least. He started to approach the machine-

"Hello!"

-Only to jump backward, cursing out loud in shock. The machine started to twitch and raised its head up to look at him. A pair of cold eyes were locked with Max's, glowing light blue and casting a faint tinge over the rest of the room, and the machine was smiling at him.

The voice that accompanied it was robotic, and a little deeper than David's. "I knew someone was alive in here! Well, not until you walked in here, in front of me. I thought all the subjects were stuck in suspension. Something about power shortages? I don't know, they didn't tell me. No point telling little ol' Daniel anything if he's supposed to be _deactivated_. Didn't even want to put me in charge of the remaining subjects or anything, _noooo_ , just leave me hanging from the ceiling in this tiny room."

Max listened to the machine ramble on for another few minutes before he turned again on his heel and made his way back out, examining one of the cubes on the way.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

Max didn't bother to turn around again. "I _was_ trying to find a way out, but if I have to choose between two ways to _suffer_ , I'd rather go with the testing. At least there's some fucking _light_ in the chambers," he said, the disdain in his voice obvious. There was a small whirring sound, which he assumed was the machine lowering himself further down.

"I can get you out!"

This time, Max swivelled around to face him. "You _can_?"

"... Yes. I know how to get through the facility and find the exit. I have been here for a while, you know. I can help you!" There was some hesitation, which Max noticed almost immediately.

"I seriously doubt that."

"It's true! I know how to help you escape. And anyway, you said yourself, isn't that what you're looking for?" The machine moved closer to Max. "Don't you want to be free from the testing? It must be _very_ tedious, having to do the same thing over and over again, for hours. Well, what if I told you it _didn't have to be_? I can help you get out of here."

Max thought for a moment. Should he trust this AI, that he found hidden away? The promise of escape was too tempting to refuse, but there was also the chance that he was going to get killed. Then again, the other option was leaving, and going back to the testing with David.

There was no fucking way he was going to go back.

Max sighed before he said, "Alright, fine, _deal_. How the fuck are you going to get me out of here?"

The machine's eyes lit up brighter, presumably in excitement. " _Great!_ Don't worry about that. Just let me help you. And before we begin, I should've told you earlier, my name is Daniel!"

He extended a metal hand for Max to shake, which the other cautiously did after a second. He didn't say a word in response.

"Now! I can move through the ceiling, but you'll have to go on through the elevator. Go into the next chamber. You're looking for a gun that makes holes."

" _Holes._ "

"Not bullet holes- I mean... You'll know when you find it," Daniel explained - or, rather, struggled to, "I'll meet you ahead. Good luck!" He raised himself up into the ceiling through an opened gap, leaving Max on his own. Realising that there was no way out of it, Max sighed and trudged back to the elevator, taking it down to the next level.

The lack of a greeting from David upon entering the test chamber was both a surprise and a relief. It was eerily quiet, but at the same time there was nobody to stop Max from doing anything here (he assumed). In the centre of the room was a strange gadget, a white tube-like device with three crooked attachments on one end that were sparking orange and blue. It was attached to an unguarded podium, ready to be taken.

Max lifted the device and slid his arm through the open end. Was this the gun that Daniel was talking about? It didn't look much like one, but he still hadn't tested it. Aiming at a concrete wall nearby, he fired. An orange-rimmed hole opened up, similar to the one he fell through at the start, where the light 'bullet' landed. He fired again next to it, and the same happened, except the hole was blue instead.

"Huh. Guess these were the holes Daniel was talking about."

Speaking of the devil, there was a soft thump above Max, after which Daniel's voice filtered through, "Did you find the portal gun?"

Max looked back at the holes and answered with a "Yes...?". He fired a blue hole into another side of the room and stepped through, finding himself at the place he had fired the orange hole. Definitely portals. As he was testing the portal gun, Daniel lowered himself through the ceiling, and when he saw Max he jumped in shock.

"AH! Oh, it's just you. You look... uh... _great_ , yeah," he said, "Are you okay? Don't feel any lack of cognitive function, or anything?"

"Uh... yeah? Why the hell would you ask me that?" Max asked, raising a brow at the machine. Now that it was light, he looked almost too much like a human - right down to the illusion of a collared shirt and a metallic cowlick of hair.

"Oh, well... Most subjects experience some cognitive deterioration after spending a few months in suspension, and you've probably spent quite a lot longer like that. So... you _may_ have a minor case of serious brain damage."

Max's expression quickly switched from shock to annoyance.

"Don't be alarmed!" Daniel tried to reassure him, "Though if you do feel alarmed, try to hold onto that feeling, since that's the proper reaction to being told you have serious brain damage."

Max continued to glare at him.

"Okay, there's another part of this chamber ahead. There's a secret entrance we can use in there, that I can hack open." On that note, Daniel disappeared into the ceiling again. The area he was talking about was on a raised section, so Max used the portal gun to enter the orange portal and reach the higher part from the blue portal. Daniel was waiting for him. A section of the wall opened nearby, which he enthusiastically gestured to.

"Bam! Secret panel! We can take this route to the exit and avoid the other test chambers!" he exclaimed. Max rolled his eyes and moved towards the opening, only to be stopped by Daniel calling to him.

"Well? Aren't you going to show me the way?" Max asked him, impatient. Daniel paused before he answered.

"Yes, but I have to detach myself from the rail above. And... I've been told if I do that, I'll die. They... didn't really elaborate on that," he explained. Max groaned before positioning himself near Daniel.

"Fine, just do it. You probably won't die, unless it's connected to a power store or some shit like that. I'll catch you if it'll make you feel better about doing it."

Daniel pondered this for a minute, which Max complained through, before he prepared himself to detach from the rail, mumbling a countdown to himself.

"One, two, three CATCH ME CATCH ME CATCH ME- OW!"

There was a sharp 'clang!' as he landed face-down on the grey tiles, metal arms and legs flat on the ground. His head lifted, blue eyes flickering as he took in what had happened.

"I... am... _not dead!_ "

Max muttered how he could see that under his breath as Daniel pushed himself onto his feet. His balance wasn't perfect, but he quickly managed to regain it before he fell over again. Back straightened and head held high, the AI led Max through the open panel and onto a steel pathway. There was little conversation between them - Daniel did most of the talking - until they reached a red laser beam across the path. Max was confused while Daniel shuddered to himself.

"Oh boy. Just... come on, keep moving."

" _Hello?_ "

The second voice came from the source of the beam. Another robot lay on its side, white and black metal covering its body. Two glowing red eyes stood out to Max. They were afraid.

"No, no, we're fine!" Daniel called to it, not stopping but turning back to whisper to Max, "Don't make eye contact."

"What is it?"

"Doesn't matter, keep going."

" _I'm different..._ "

He strode ahead, and Max slowly followed, still looking at the robot. He didn't bring it up again, since it probably wouldn't be worth it. Most of the robots he'd met (well, the only one he'd met in person) already looked eerily human for Max's tastes.

What unnerved him about the other robot was how it looked an awful lot like a young boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give a better description of Daniel's appearance, but I don't think 'floof' is a proper English term. Still, I tried.


	4. This hurts you just as much as me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max has an unfortunate encounter with his friendly tester. It doesn't go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a bit shorter, I didn't have much else to fit in here-

Max decided not to ask Daniel about the other robot as he was led through several doors opening vertically. Chances were, Daniel didn't know about it anyway. No point trying to get much information out of him. The AI slowed down and came to a stop to the entrance of a pathway surrounded by glass.

"Before we continue, you should probably know something. In order to escape here, we're gonna have to go through..." Daniel hesitated before he finished the statement, " _His_ chamber."

"'His chamber'?" Max asked.

"... Yes. I don't know what he'll do to us if we go in there and he's there, awake. So we have the option of staying here and not going any further! If you don't want to confront him."

Max stared at Daniel for a minute before looking into the entrance and taking several steps forward, only to be blocked by the anxious-looking AI.

"Okay, I'll be honest: I really don't want to go in there, at all," he started to say, before Max impatiently pushed past him, "Wait, no! Don't go in there! Don't- okay, nevermind, he's distracted. Panic over. On we go, just keep quiet."

His voice dropped to a whisper and he slowly trailed behind Max, who carefully made his way across the far walls of the chamber. Near the corner was a cylinder decorated with a vast number of switches, with a single open side facing outwards. Daniel nodded in its direction, mumbling about a switch for an escape pod, and Max started to pick up his pace, tiptoeing past the larger robot moving panels in the middle of the chamber.

The longer they stayed there, the more chance they had of getting caught.

Max wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and as a result his foot caught on a stray wire. Falling forward, the portal gun slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.

"FUCK! Fucking... wires!" Max cursed out loud. Upon hearing the sudden noise, the robot in the centre of the chamber swivelled round to look at him.

" _Max_?"

Max froze, hovering over the fallen gun. Daniel ran over to him before stopping once he caught sight of the bigger AI. When Max turned his head to face him, he was surprised to see how similar the robot looked to Daniel. Same hair, same shape, and he was hanging in the same suspended position Max had found Daniel in. The main difference was a yellow bandana around the robot's neck and a glowing pair of dark green eyes, contrasting the electric blue of the former.

Max nearly forgot about his portal gun for a second. "David?"

"You _know_ him?" Daniel questioned, turning back to Max in shock.

"Max, where have you been? I've had so many more exciting tests prepared for you!" David said, lowering himself down a little, "You missed them, and they were going to be really fun."

"Maybe because I don't want to do your stupid tests! Isn't this considered child abuse or some shit?" Max argued. David jolted for a moment.

"Why would you say that? I'm just trying to help Campbell Science further its research!"

"Then get some other poor kid to do it! Hell, just use _Daniel_ if you really need a subject!" The second AI gave a "What?!" in response, but both David and Max ignored him.

"You're the only subject who can help me, help _us_!"

"Don't you realise that I _don't care_ about your fucking research? Nobody here is concerned about it except for you! You're making everything seem like it's perfectly fine and the tests are actually _entertaining_ for people, when in reality they're the complete opposite and they're actually _pretty fucking dangerous_! Don't you know that nobody actually _gives a shit_?"

"I know." David stated. His tone was flat, and a deafening silence followed. No machinery was moving for a brief moment, and Max glared defiantly at him as David continued - his voice gradually growing in volume.

"I know that you don't care. None of the subjects have. The scientists stopped caring. Gwen doesn't care. Even the _founder_ of the facility has better things to do!"

Max didn't stop as he picked up the portal gun. "Then why the fuck do you _keep trying_?" He was about to continue arguing when a metal claw gripped Max and lifted him up so he was face to face with David. He'd never seen a machine look so frustrated and... defeated?

"Because _somebody fucking has to_ , Max!"

He was starting to regret pushing David this far. He was still a robot, no matter how he acted. Still a cold machine. For the first time since he entered the facility, Max started to feel really scared.

"I have had it up to _here_ with _all_ of you! I keep telling you about the joys of testing, of science, of innovation, but do you _listen_? No. You just push, and push, and push. I don't know what to say anymore - I've got nothing left. You've left me _no choice_."

The claw pulled him towards an opening hatch on the floor, twisting him around in the process. Max turned his head to see Daniel also caught in one of the claws, his metal body sparking where the machine clutched him too tightly.

"But I have to say, if you've gone through the trouble of finding me here, you must _really_ love to test!" David commented. His voice had regained its usual chirpiness, but now it sent a chill down Max's spine.

He'd fucked up.

He tried to hold back a scream as he fell down the hatch, nothing but darkness underneath him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much I was looking forward to writing that David dialogue, seriously.
> 
> (I apologise if it's ooc though, I thought it fit him well-)


	5. That's just my personal conviction.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David feels bad for his actions and tries to make up for them; Max encounters some challenging tests. Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELP, GUESS WHO FINALLY UPDATED!
> 
> This fic is nowhere near abandoned, trust me. With school starting again I've lost a lot of time to work on this fic, however I am still writing it! There is a lot coming up, and it is definitely not done yet.
> 
> We haven't even got to the good bit yet!
> 
> Also, this chapter was originally gonna be longer, but if I kept going it would be twice the length of the others. So think of this as part one of a two-part chapter.

No sooner had Max entered the gaping hole, David felt his anger fade away. It was quickly replaced with panic as the machine processed his recent actions - nearly destroying a core and potentially killing the only test subject left who had found the gun.

_That was not supposed to happen._

He glanced back at the second AI that had been accompanying Max, who he had also managed to trap in those ~~~~~~horrible~~ metal claws. The AI was sparking around the waist area, obviously where the claws were digging in far more than necessary. There appeared to be some sort of glitching in its systems as well, but David couldn't place exactly what it was. It definitely wasn't like his own, that's for sure. He opened several panels and placed the damaged core in another chamber - it didn't react, still struggling to keep the systems going and temporarily deactivated.

David felt strong regret. He was a _friendly_ AI, he wasn't supposed to _hurt_ people! No matter what the scientists had said before! There wasn't anything wrong with him _or_ his morality. He just needed to prove that to them.

But first, he had to apologise to Max. If he was still alive.

* * *

Max was slowly starting to wish that the fall had killed him.

It had been terrifying at the time - he was falling for _fuck_ knows how long into what was essentially a dark abyss. Until he landed on his feet, shock absorbed by the large white boots he was wearing. He was in a dark metal room with a strange crackling sound underneath the floor. When David's voice filtered through a speaker, Max froze, ready to take any reprimanding or harsh words the AI was going to throw at him.

So he was puzzled when David started to _apologise_ \- for dropping him into the hole and not listening when Max was talking about the testing before - and had regarded him with suspicion ever since. He was led across the room (apparently the floor opened up to an incinerator or something) and towards a lift as David had explained more about the testing.

Max was _not_ looking forward to the next sixty years.

He started to fall back into the pattern of testing again - since he had no other choice. However, he was surprised to find that they had become significantly more interesting. Not that he was starting to enjoy them. He still hated them, and they were becoming a hell of a lot more difficult, not to mention dangerous. Guess the recording he heard at the start did have a point.

The first test David introduced Max to past the 'Incinerator Room' involved lasers. As in, deadly red lasers he had to move around with the portals. He nearly came close to burning himself - he still wasn't used to using the portal gun - but he managed to get the hang of it so he wouldn't accidentally kill himself. Following that test, he had to use a strange glass cube to redirect the lasers to a desired point. It may have been a little boring if the lasers weren't actually able to kill him.

David's attempts at encouragement just proved how ignorant the machine could be. Sure, he was praising Max on his use of the portal gun, but it almost seemed like David was trying _too_ hard to make him feel better. By the time he told Max about science 'validating his mother's decision to abandon him', Max felt much more annoyed than anything. As well as generally depressed.

Meanwhile, the tests were steadily getting more challenging. Max nearly screamed when he stepped on a plate and was sent flying to the other side of the chamber. David then told him about the 'Aerial Faith Plates'.

"Part of an initiative to investigate how well test subjects could solve problems when they were catapulted into space!" he explained, "The results were highly informative! ...They could not. Good luck!"

He received no response - except for a finger raised to the security cameras - as Max puzzled out how to use the plates. He'd decided to ignore David's chatter throughout the tests, as it just distracted him most of the time. He worked out how to complete the test quickly, and the second was even easier - if not more dangerous. He didn't like the look of the murky water below.

It wasn't until the next test that Max found something that intrigued him.

"Hey David," Max called, examining a slightly different-looking cube, "The hell is this?"

"Oh! That's one of our, uh, special cubes! They were made by several of our scientists as an experiment. We concluded that they made the subjects feel good in the tests, so we kept them," the AI explained. Something about his description didn't seem right to Max, but he didn't think much about it. He just looked at the cube - which had a pink tinge and hearts in the centre of each face instead of the Campbell Science logo. He thought he could hear something from the cube - a familiar, nervous voice - but as he tried to move closer it suddenly dissolved into small flashes of light.

Max jumped back at this, and in the background he heard a, "Sorry! My bad, I didn't mean to fizzle that out before you completed your test! Here, grab another one. We have warehouses full of them."

An identical cube fell from the top of the chamber and Max grabbed it before it could disappear like the other one. He was extremely reluctant to let it go, but despite this he used it to help him complete the test. When he thought David wasn't looking, he quietly used the portal gun to pull the cube up onto the ledge leading to the exit. Unlike the other chambers, which always had a weird laser grill before the door, there was a clear pathway and the sides of the area were sparking intermittently.

"All of the test chambers are equipped with an emancipation grill to stop subjects from taking objects out of the testing area. I think this one is broken!" David said. Max's first thought was that nothing could stop him from taking the cube with him. So he quickly carried it through the exit towards the lift.

There was no fucking way he wanted to leave it behind. It was calming. It made him feel happier. Whether or not David knew that, he didn't care. If he listened close enough, he thought he could hear a friendly voice coming from it, trying to say his name.

But as he reached the lift, the cube dissolved from his grip and he almost immediately became annoyed again.

"I'm sorry, Max. But you should know the rules! I cannot allow you to take any objects out of the testing area." Of course David would do that.

"I heard it speak. It was trying to fucking say my name," Max said.

"I know. They _are_ sentient! We just have a lot of them."

Max muttered some curses under his breath as he trudged to the elevator and stepped inside. He wasn't going to trust David as much as he did for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Companion cubes. I love 'em. I've even got a plush one!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm open to criticism! Feel free to leave a comment or anything if you have any ^^


End file.
